No room to relax after tough debut

The Cricket Cranes have been the talk of the town in the build-up to the ninth International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA.

And rightfully so! They had an amazing qualification campaign in Windhoek last year, and their off-the-field events like Cricket 4 Good have rightfully made them headline grabbers.

Against Afghanistan, the eleven that took the field became the first-ever historical XI to play in a senior World Cup. After captain Brian Masaba won the toss, he also became the first-ever Ugandan to take a wicket at the ‘Big Dance.’

Captain Fantastic

The Afghans raced to a 154-run opening partnership with Rahmanullah Gurbaz (76) and Ibrahim Zadran (70) laying a solid platform for a big total.

However, Masaba, introducing himself as the last bowler for the day, bowled Zadran with a beautiful delivery that drew him out of the crease. Left-arm orthodox spinner Alpesh Ramjani then got rid of Gurbaz, who holed out to deep square leg, as the Test-playing side fell to 157 for 2.

Masaba continued Uganda's fight back by sending Najibullah Zadran back to the dugout in the 17th over, with Nakrani taking the catch at deep square leg.

Kyewuta then picked up two late wickets, dismissing Gulbadin Naib caught at long-on for four, and Azmatullah Omarzai skying one to short third man in the final over. Quite remarkably, Uganda didn’t concede a single boundary in the last six overs, a first in World Cup history.

“We are a proud bunch of players. We have made history playing in the World Cup, and hopefully, we can inspire a generation of young ones back at home.

This is what dreams are made of,” said the affable Masaba, who didn't look out of place with his performance and leadership on the day.

Superior bowling

The Cricket Cranes struggled against a Dwayne Bravo-tutored Afghan bowling attack. They were bundled out for 58 in 16 overs, with Robinson Obuya (14), who muscled the only six of the innings, and Riazat Ali Shah (11) being the only batsmen to reach double figures. Man of the Match Fazalhaq Farooqi was the hero, blowing away Uganda’s top order with impeccable figures: 5 wickets for 9 runs.

While Afghanistan showcased their experience, powering to a 125-run victory, there were several slices of history and memorable moments for the debutant Team Uganda.

The historical significance was evident as West Indies legend Bravo passed on tips to Uganda’s fast bowlers and taught them the essence of self-belief. Former England top-order batsman Jonathan Trott, coaching Afghanistan, had extensive words with Uganda’s batsmen.

Veteran Frank Nsubuga also reunited with Mohammed Nabi, nicknamed The President, who was part of the 2009 squad Uganda defeated by 14 runs in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The jersey swapping was another emotional event.

PNG up next

That camaraderie is expected to spill over to the early hours of Thursday morning when Uganda lock horns with Papua New Guinea (PNG) in a battle of seemingly ‘equal’ weights.

Their head coach Tatenda Taibu and consultant Phil Simmons have respectively played against and coached teams that stood in Uganda’s way at ICC pathway events before.

“The defeat against Afghanistan is now in the past. Now we must turn up against PNG and give our fans a performance worth their sacrifices. Playing for the badge is a must, and everyone knows they must double their efforts,” said Alpesh Ramjani during the post-match Mixed Zone interview.

PNG are globally ranked 20^nd, two places above Uganda (22^nd) and after their impressive show against West Indies, who they made to chase down 136 in 19 overs, they will fancy their chances of getting their campaign off the mark.

Players like Tony Ura, Assad Vala and Charles Amini have been playing against Uganda since the qualifiers of 2003 U-19 World Cup in Benoni, South Africa and will definitely want to renew the old rivalries.

The Cricket Cranes will hope to script more history with victory, if attained, being icing on the cake.